When a plant is in good health, its leaves have a green color that is nice to see. However, if we see that they start to yellow ... it could be a sign of a serious problem. In terms of plant health, this problem is called chlorosis, which is presented as the plant cannot absorb iron or magnesium adequately through its root system, and the leaves begin to turn yellow. And if it is not solved quickly, these leaves tend to fall.
But there is no need to be alarmed. Chlorosis, no matter how complicated it may seem, is an easily avoidable and, above all, easily controllable evil. Do you want to know some measures so that your plants do not have to suffer this problem? We will explain them to you below.
Irrigation water
In most cases, chlorosis is presented by a excess lime in water. The lime prevents the iron from being absorbed by the roots. If you live in an area where the water is very hard, you can add a few drops of lemon vinegar to the irrigation water to lower the pH, and facilitate the absorption of iron, or buy a specific fertilizer for acidophilic plants and put a few drops in the water before watering.
If you do not know or are not sure what type of water you have, you can buy pH strips and do a quick and inexpensive analysis yourself. Remember that a pH greater than or equal to 7 is considered chalky, while 4 to 6 is considered acidic.
Substratum
We have very good quality irrigation water, however the substrate… may not be the most suitable for your plant. It is as important to know the pH of the water as of the substrate, since it will not do any good to water an acidophilus plant with rainwater a land that has a very high pH.
In this case, it is best to transplant the plant, and change the substrate for one whose pH is low; or add peat moss.
Location
Sometimes it is the case that chlorosis appears because the plant is in an inappropriate location. As a general rule, all plants must be outside; however, if we have them indoors, they should be away from drafts.
Also, be careful with fertilizers and insecticides. We will always follow the manufacturer's recommendations.